Wallops launches an average of 25 scientific balloons each year. Balloons are launched routinely from the National Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas and the Scientific Balloon Flight Facility in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico.

The Scientific Balloons fly to an altitude of 26 miles (42 kilometers), with flights lasting an average of 12 to 24 hours. Temporary Launch Sites: Canada Australia New Zealand Antarctica Fairbanks, Alaska Sweden

The SEM Vial shown below is a clear, sealable, polycarbonate vial, measuring 1.0 inch in diameter and 3.0 inches in height. Experiment materials must be able to fit through the neck of the SEM vial and inside of the vial. a. Vial neck size: 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) diameter b. Vial inside depth: 3.0 inches (7.62 cm) c. Total Vial volume: 26.3 ml or 1.6 cu. in. Allowable Vial volume: 92% full (24.2 ml or 1.47 cu. in.) Modules: Plastic, rugged cases with interlocking flange on countersunk lid with four slot head screws. Size: 7.5 x 4.3 x 2.2 inches

SEM-B Timeline February 6 – Application Deadline March 1 – Experiments completed and shipped to Wallops Flight Facility March 15 – Experiments Integrated in Flight Modules (students will have a live web cast of integration) Launch Date – to be determined April or May Followed by post flight de-integration and student reports to be completed and final experiment analysis report due to NASA at Wallops Island.

The Fungi for the Student Eye Experiment was done with the help of Krista McGuire, Ecology Doctoral student from University of Michigan.

Students worked after school hours to prepare the experiment for flight on a high altitude balloon. Experiment vials were made for use in near space conditions.

Sordaria produces sac shaped reproductive structures called asci. These burst open to release spores. Each spore case has rows of spores that are produced through meiosis and found eight at a time in a spore case.

Students used samples of homozygous black and homozygous tan Sordaria fungus from a prepared culture. Each sample was carefully placed in an experiment vial.

Penicillium cultures were also prepared for flight on the mission. Penicillium is used in the manufacture of medicines that cure bacterial illness and infection.

Penicillin tablets were also sent into near space conditions to test their efficacy after their return to Earth.

The balloon gondola is brought to the launch site by crane.

The HERO balloon is inflated and prepared for launch.

The launch is complete at the Fort Sumner, New Mexico site.

The HERO payload lands softly in a field in Kansas. The equipment is in perfect condition at recovery.

Once the experiments were returned from flight, the Sordaria tan was mated with the black Sordaria in order to determine if there was any change in the DNA.

Penicillin tablets were plates on Petri dishes with bacteria to test the efficacy of the penicillin after exposure to near space conditions. Penicillium culture was placed on Petri dishes as well, to test the ability of the fungi to inhibit bacterial growth after its high altitude flight.

Students spent the day in the lab using microscopes and other lab equipment to determine the outcome of their experiments.

The Fungi for the Student Eye experiment showed that the DNA of fungi can be altered by exposure to near space conditions. The lab report gives details of the students’ findings.

Young Scientists learned a lot about the work of real science and produced some interesting results for NASA’s space experiments program.